The South, long the most depressed area in the country, is now in a period of economic boom. The image from the mass media of the "Sunbelt" cities is one of unending growth and universal prosperity. However, little systematic attention has been directed toward the social impacts of such growth. The questions that we propose to ask focus on these issues: What is the effect of rapid growth on community life in a southern city? What social and economic groups gain and what groups lose? The objectives of this study are threefold: (1) to trace over time the components of rapid economic and population growth in a case study of one southern metropolitan area; (2) to examine the distribution of the benefits and costs of growth to various social and economic groups and neighborhoods; and (3) to explore the extent to which the problems and mistakes that have beset northern cities for decades are being repeated in the "Sunbelt". The proposed study will examine the effects of rapid economic growth and the accompanying population growth on community life in a case study of one southern metropolitan area, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. The study proposes to show how the rapid growth of an area impacts upon four community components--the economic structure, the social and economic composition of the population, residential patterns, and accessibility to public services. The period covered in the study is 1960 to the present. The case study approach is proposed because it allows for a detailed examination of the characteristics and dynamics of change and because of the exploratory nature of the topic. A variety of data sources, both primary and secondary, will be utilized to address the research questions. Interviews with local governmental and business leaders will be conducted to aid in the interpretation of the quantitative data. The study relates to community mental health insofar as the emotional well-being of a population is a function of the number and quality of employment opportunities, residential environment, and equitable public services.